Twin Legends
by Cruxis' Kingdom Heart Cherubim
Summary: Kamui has always lived with a sense of loss. A longing for something she couldn't comprehend for someone who didn't exist. These feelings remaining only as phantoms until an encounter with a lost hero brings to light ties she has with the hero who could pass for her twin and the nature of the phantoms plaguing both her homelands of Nohr and Hoshido.
1. Prologue : Existence

**I made a request for a Fates fanfic, but I've got so many ideas for it that I might as well try it out myself. Can't say how well it will work out considering I'm probably no where near the level of knowledge I need to make a compelling Fates fanfic. I mean, I've got the basic idea of what happens in the early chapters and some of the conquest and revelations routes (none of the birthright one XDD) but I want to try something new around chapter 6. Let's see how I mess this up.**

 **(Anankos has been removed from the story, one because I don't know enough about him to write him in and I wanted to do something different that would help the story I have in mind. Vallite might also be completely written out so Azura might just be a princess of Nohr while Corrin and Kamui are Hoshidian royalty.)**

 _The first thing she was aware of was the roar of a thousand voices, screaming, crying out in rage over the clash of screeching metal and pounding steps. Darkened armored forces charged head first into an army of white and grey, their movements blending in with one another so closely it was almost impossible to tell each other apart._

 _Blurry figures stood on each side, almost completely unconcerned with the battle raging around them, black blobs to her left and white smears to her right, all staring at her, awaiting a choice that would break her heart. Their calls and pleas to join them ringing in her ears until it was all she could hear._

 _"Big sister!"_

 _"Come home to us, Little Princess."_

 _"You're insane if you think I'll let you take my sister again!"_

 _With each plea, a tiny piece of her heart broke, unable to side with either, desperately wishing to not take a side so she could protect all of those she had come to accept as her family. Neither side wanted to relinquish their ties to the white-haired girl and once again, she cursed her fate for forcing her to choose between her kin._

 _"I..." The words wouldn't come out, no matter how hard she tried. "I..."_

 _Blinding pain struck her abdomen as she staggered and grasped her stomach, her arms stained with red as she fell to her knees. Gasping with blood spilling from her lips as the girl looked at her hands, speckles of liquid red sprinkled on her palm and leather guarded arm. She stared almost transfixed, unfamiliar with the leather strapped to her arm, and uncertain where her silver plated armour went._

 _Looking down at her wound, she noticed patches of green past the copious amount of blood. The soil beneath her was soaked, pools beginning to grow larger by the second and she knew this new next breathe would be her last._

 _Stumbling to the ground, beams of sunlight flickered through the clouds, gently coressing her face as she lay dying._

 _A bitter smile crossed her face as a large object continued to float beyond her field of vision, guided by a silver light propelling it upward. Screams of terror and anguish, cries of one who has lost something dear to them, voices she knew and only the thought that they would live on in peace after her death brought her comfort to her final moments._

 _"Well... I suppose...this is the end for me..." she said, words spoken softly and filled with melancholy and a promise fading from life. Tears forming and rolling down her checks, the girl raised her hand to the sky, watching painfully as the sky began to darken around her._

 _"I... never did...find out if you...were real..." She gasped, her voice wavering as her strength became to seep away from her grasp, "All...I can...hope for...is if...you are real...and are waiting for me to return... I hope... that you will wait... for me..."_

 _Her hand fell with a quiet thud onto her stomach, too far gone to resister the brief sting of pain as the light began to dim._

 _"Kamui..."_

 _"-y la-"_

My dear sister

 _"Lad- Ka-ui-"_

 _The light finally faded from his eyes as she wailed in agony over the corpse of the young man who shared her face._

May we meet again

* * *

"Lady Kamui, time to wake up!"

Kamui jolted from her bed, gasping and clutching her chest tightly, trying to prevent the tears from falling at the loss of something she couldn't understand nor remember losing. Her hands quickly falling to the area the Nohrian princess was certain had been punctured just a moment ago. Finding no such wound, she took several breathes, desperately trying to still her frantic heart.

"Lady Kamui, are you alright?" A gentle voice asked her.

The girl glanced up to see the worried expressions on her servants faces. The twins, Felicia and Flora sitting by her side, one holding her hand tightly with the other just barely hovering over her shoulder. Jacob and Gunter standing just a bit away, but ready to jump into action at the slightest hint of unrest in their lady's eyes.

"I..." She began, eyes trailing down to her blanketed form, "I don't know..."

Gripping her chest tightly, she said, "It feels like I almost lost something very important again."

How many more times could the sheltered princess go through this state of loss and longing before her heart finally shattered into pieces.

* * *

 **...Guess this is as good as any place to stop for now. If anyone wants me to continue, or if I screwed something up (or just forget it entirely), leave a review and I'll fix it as soon as I can.**

 **If this is up for a new chapter, the next one is gonna skip to a point where the fic differs from the main storyline, because one of my main** **flaws is my lack of patience when it comes to something that would have been the exact same anyway.**


	2. Early Morning Light

**Image what having a plan will do for story telling. Sort of, the conversation between the siblings near the end was a last minute inclusion, so let's see how well that works out.**

The freezing air was therapeutic, it's chilling breath bringing back some clarity and invoking a sense of safety from the harsh burning flames of her nightmares. Those dark burning flames that consumed all and left everything else to decay and ruin. She still felt those burns, that gaping hole in her gut, blood seeping out and stain the cold earth red with her precious life force. Despite what her servants tried to tell, she still felt the wounds even if her body didn't reflect that reality.

They were right though, it wasn't her wounds she was experiencing. It wasn't her death that plagued her soul.

People would tell you that their dreams are inconsequential, that what you see while in the gentle hold of a daydream, holds no real value outside your own consciousnesses. Oh how fortunate those people are, who continue to live their lives completely ignorant of what lies beyond their realm of comprehension.

Those eyes she saw, purple orbs of the brightest amethyst transcending even the most beautiful jewel, set into a face she saw in every moment she happened by a mirror. He couldn't false, the feelings she felt in his presence couldn't be a mere product of her imagination. The uselessness she felt as he lay dying and her own fruitless efforts made trying to save his life.

The all-consuming grief that consumed her when she failed.

Her siblings tried to understand. While they may not have been fully convinced of her feelings, they stayed with her, comforted her in her heartache and gently brought her back from a sea of melancholy.

Kamui let herself give a smile, she was truly blessed to have such amazing siblings.

Readjusting her grip, Kamui dropped into a stance, the moves she sought to perform playing in her head in perfect clarity. Each swing followed up another, precise footing setting up the next flow of movements with painstaking grace of prolonged training.

She finished up her set with a furious swipe of her blade, muscles burning and exhaustion overtaking her as she inhaled deep, long breathes, trying to fill her aching lungs with air. Sweat rolling down her face, the cold soothing against her warm skin as she drank in the chilling air.

"Another nightmare Kamui."

Hearing Xander's voice, Kamui looked up from her sword to see her brother standing off to the side observing her with a soft gaze.

She chuckled bitterly, the laugh coming out as a cough, "T-that obvious huh?"

He raised an eyebrow, walking up to the younger girl and gently patting her head, "You're only ever up this early and training because of a nightmare. Am I wrong?"

"I could have woken up early and wanted to train," she mumbled, taking comfort from the contact.

"And did you?"

She remained silent confirming Xander's suspicions. He sighed, eyeing the blade she was using, the sword could hardly be called a blade as the nicks and scratches embedded in the steel dulling the blade to the point of becoming worthless as a weapon. It was well taken care of, despite the scratches that spoke of long training session, gleaming bronze in the cold light.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of Little Princess, even the most hardened soldier experience nightmares." he told her.

"Even you?"

He chuckled, concealing the grimace as he thought back to the more darker moments in his life, "Yes, even me."

Kamui peered up at him, trying to imaging her strong older brother as one who suffered through something as simple as a nightmare. She honestly couldn't believe him, never has the girl seen him in the midst of awakening from a nightmare but that was an easy thing to understand. Xander came to her, in her isolation in the fortress, no doubt by the time he and the others arrived, they would have hidden their fears so deeply they would never see the light again.

Their efforts to conceal their despair simply to tend to her needs added fuel to her burning desire to train, to go stronger so that she can stand beside them instead of getting left behind in the dark.

She had always been protected, from the darkness of her mind to the pangable threats of her father's enemies, and she hated it.

Xander saw the train of thought his little sister had running through her head. The Nohrian prince knew she hated being left behind while her siblings fought. Training her whole life for that one moment the girl will be granted permission to join them on the front lines.

"Your should bring your feet a little closer together, too far and it'll be child's play for your enemy to knock you off balance."

Kamui perked up at Xander's words, sliding her feet together and feeling how more balanced she was. Running through the motions once more Kamui swiftly made each passing swing with just a little more grace.

She shot Xander a grateful smile, "Thank you Xander, I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for your teachings."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Kamui. You'll be a fine warrior."

Kamui shot him an exasperated look, "Now you're just saying things to make me feel better."

The elder chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes, "You'll see the truth one day Little Princess."

Weak beams of sunlight shone through the thick layers of clouds and the early morning mist, drawing the two Nohrian royals eyes to the eastern sky softly glowing in faded light. Cold, white light illuminated the illusion of a tall mountain-like landscape just peering over the horizon.

"Whoa.." Kamui could scarcely hold in a breath of amazement. She heard stories about what the light would look like, how'd it feel to stand under it's powerful, warming beams. Raising her hand, she watched in fascination as her hand lightly shined under the golden light, a warm sensation thawing her frozen skin with a gentle heat.

She heard Xander chuckle at her awe, "How fortunate of you Little Princess," he said, drinking in the sight of the light and mist himself, "Here we are to witness the rarest of Nohrian treasures."

Kamui nodded, "It-

"WHHHOOOOOAA!"

Kamui jumped back in fright, but was still unable to dodge the cheerful lunge of her darling little sister wrapping her arms around the older girl's waist. She giggled, having surprised her older sister, who laughed back, and returned the hug.

"It's so surprising to see you up so early." Elise asked with a bright smile, "But isn't the sunrise really pretty Kamui?."

"I just happen to appreciate the act of sleeping in dear sister." Kamui said with a knowing smirk, to which Elise giggled. The smirk fell into a soft smile as she took in the horizon, "But yes Elise. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

"Hehe, Wanna know something cool about the sunrise?" Elise asked, a gleeful sparkle in her eyes. Xander watching the exchanged with a smile.

"What?"

"They say you can see another world through the rays of the dawn light." Elise exclaimed, waving her hands in the air, "Isn't that cool!"

Someone scoffed behind them, revealing themselves to be the youngest Nohrian Prince, Leo, followed by Camilia, "That's just a story told to children, there's no way it's true."

"Aw, but you have to admit it's an interesting tale," Camilia remarked with a smile, "Anything to keep those bright smiles alight I say."

"Camilia, Leo!" Kamui exclaimed, rushing up to give both of them a hug, "What are all of you doing here? I thought it was just going to be Xander coming."

"Oh my dear," Camilia said, "There isn't a force on earth that could keep me from coming to see my darling little sister. Besides, we have a wonderful surprise for you."

Kamui's eyes lit up in wonder to Camilia's delight, "What?"

"Oh oh, I wanna tell her!" Elise exclaimed.

Leo smirked at her, "Father has heard of your process in swordplay. He's quite impressed and as such, has allowed us to bring you to the capital."

"Awww! Leo, I wanted to say it!" Elise said with a pout.

Kamui looked at the others in shock, "R-really? Does that mean?"

Camilia gave her a warm smile, "Yes. It means you can finally leave this drafty fortress. You must have been so lonely all this time, separated from the rest of the world... But now you'll be free!"

"Isn't that wonderful?!"

"Y-yes, it really is." Kamui had one of the brightest smiles she ever remembered giving, "Now I can finally join all of your fighting for Nohr."

"There will be plenty of time to discuss the details with Father." Xander spoke, a smile of his own on his face, "Let us depart then."

She took one last look at the horizon, the last one she'd see from within the confines of the fortress. The light, while weak, was still one of the most magnificent sights in her life, though she swore she could see glistening white snow covering a much more physical-looking mountain than the illusion that had appeared before.

 **I can only assume this is much better than the original chapter 2 that I had original written. If there are some issues with the character interactions I would love some tips on how to improve them.**

 **I've only got this story planned out to about the hoshido chapter, still working out some things in what would be the 'Mother' chapter, like how to deal with certain things that'll be revealed then, so that'll be fun.**


	3. Chapter 1 : The Journey Begins

**When I said I wanted to do something different around chapter 6, I meant chapter 3. Of course, that was before I started planning this out, but the plot does change a bit here. It's still gonna end up going to Hoshido with the Royal Family, but _how_ they get there is gonna change just a bit. Hope you guys enjoy this!**

Warm, bright light cascaded down the heavens, bestowing her people with it's grace and beauty. Ever since she could remember the light always held a special place in her heart, it's luminous presence welcoming her home at the very first sight of dawn. The brilliant colors of the morning, as much as it tried, couldn't fill the aching hole in her heart.

This was a sight she once shared with her sweet twin children and watching the sun rise over the horizon only sought to remind her of their absence.

As much as she wanted to grieve for her potential loss, as the Queen of Hoshido had to keep her emotions back for the sake of her people but every night she was plagued with the possible fates her children were suffering and her inability to save them haunted her day and night.

A dark shadow became a blight over her hopes to one day see her children again. She felt robbed of an opportunity Mikoto didn't know she would ever see. For all the darkness she had foreseen, the bright queen could only hope her dear children were alive and well in whatever bleak corner of Nohr they were imprisoned in.

* * *

"Well... That's not good."

Red-hot flames burned fiercely, consuming the field of bright grass and nearly blinding the poor fire starter from his mistake. Looking at the burnt out husk of a torch in his hand, he could only let out a nervous chuckle, overlooking the tiny flames slowly creeping down the wooden handle.

Taking a step back hoping to distance himself from this mess, "Whelp, hopefully the fire will take of itself no reason to-ACK!"

The tiny flames finally reached his hand, lightly toasting his skin and startling him so bad that he mistimed his step and tripped over a rock...and to sent be sent tumbling down a massive slope.

"AH F-" A brief yelp forced itself out his throat as he finally lost his balance and was sent tumbling out of control. Panic overwhelmed him as he tried to detach the shield and throw it between him and the painful fall he was due for. Rolling once half way, he managed to place the shield under him, using it as a board sliding down the rough earth at incredible speeds.

His scream of terror swiftly transformed into gleeful howl of excitement as he raced down the thankful obstruction free path, rapidly gaining speed with no sign of slowing down.

Laughing hysterically at his new predicament, the boy didn't stop even when the path did and was sent flying off the ledge. Letting the damaged shield fall to it's untimely death, he let himself free fall for a short while, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness and the wind rushing past him before pulling out his trusty paraglider, saving him from certain death.

Gently gliding downward and watching the sights of the early morning light reflecting off the ocean surface. He was content on letting himself take in his surroundings of the sea past his beloved homeland.

Up in the air, feeling the sea breath ruffle his white hair, he was in the perfect position to see the wave of mirages over the ocean surface, a black stain disturbing the sea waves far away near the base of Mount Lanayru. Frowning, the boy scanned the area, seeing the steep, rocky slopes that would make most rational traveler question the validity of someone even considering taking that path over the safer one.

But then again, the Lynel haunting the snowy path leading up to Mount Lanayru was a game changer for most people.

Corrin wasn't most people.

Most people don't set fields on fire and trip down a hill trying to run from it, or entertain the idea of riding a wild bear like a horse and trampling a bokoblin camp, or-

'Focus Corrin,' he shook his head, 'Giant black blob in the middle of nowhere, that's never a good sign.'

There were no viable paths to take that wasn't completely overtaken by monsters or a pain in the ass to travel through simply by the nature of how it was formed. Barren, craggy rocks with a steep incline, and judging by Corrin's earlier blunder with balance, one slip away from death, or a winter wonder land of death with enemies crawling in the snow just waiting to leap out and strike unsuspecting victims.

As nice as a snow day sounded, Corrin would rather not run into _another_ Lynel when he's yet to fully restock his weapon supply. The bruises and sore muscles mean absolutely nothing, he did not get his ass handed to him for the majority of the fight. Nope.

It took him several hours to navigate his way around Mount Lanayru without tripping on the loose rocks. The mountain itself was surprisingly easy to travel over if one stayed just above the ocean spray. He had to quickly learn how to balance himself over the craggy slopes of the mountain, bearing a few stumbles near the start but he managed.

There wasn't anything to hide behind, so he opted to crouch when he noticed a massive crowd of monsters on one of the most shoddy looking boats he'd ever seen. Bokoblins of various coloring crawling around the deck aimlessly and a few moblins trying to steer the ship towards a mass of swirling black energy.

'What on earth is that?' he thought, watching the mass of energy warily as it slowly gained a shade of violet.

There was a loud crack, startling the boy as purple cracks fractured the image of the sea, like looking through a broken window of reality, darkness bleeding through the fissures. Taking this as a cue, one by one the monsters jumped into the blackness, leaving behind the ship to slowly sink into the ocean.

Curiosity peaked but caution rearing it's ugly head, Corrin debated whether it was worth the risk to go investigate. The black spot appeared to be a portal of some kind, where it went he didn't know. His first instinct was to follow, find out where they were going and what they were going, constantly nagging him to find out. Damn his curiosity.

Compromising, he decided to head down onto the ship to investigate, but keep a hand ready to teleport if the portal was more dangerous than it looked.

Jumping onto the deck, Corrin grimaced when he felt the ship dip just a bit further under the surface. 'Better hurry.' he declared, warily walking up to the fracture. An image began to appear in the swirling mist, a dark; bleak canyon concealed in mist. It was honestly depressing just looking at it, everything was a grim shade of grey from what little he could see.

It was a strange place but didn't appear to be of any concern if a group of monsters showed up.

Of course the gods had a sense of humor when he heard a very human scream come out of it.

* * *

 _One could wonder just how much your life could change so suddenly within the span of a single day. She was ecstatic, finally granted the freedom she so desperately craved and given a purpose she would live out to the rest of her days. Her father was exactly how she remembered; strong and stern, cold but with just the slightest hint of pride in his eyes that spoke of how he truly felt about his children. She felt elated when he looked at her like that, granting her a special sword specifically made for her._

 _At least that's what she would like to say._

 _The moment the sword materizeled she fought down the urge to run from the room with a girlish shriek of terror. As much as she tried to prevent it, her fear leaked through just for a moment._

 _Her father told her the sword was made with magic siphoned from another world, it was a dark, imposing force that threatened to suffocate and tear her apart limb from limb._

 _"T-Thank you for the most generous gift Father." Kamui had told him, hesitating to handle the sword but forced herself to take the blade anyway._

 _Holding the sword against her bare skin made her want to tear her own hand off and burn it in holy fire._

 _When her father asked her to execute the prisoners after defeating them in battle, she hesitated again. Kamui had to force down the bile from using the sword and drawing blood from her opponents and watching the sword gleeful ingesting the blood stains with gusto. Having to kill someone with this_ _ **thing**_ _felt like condemning someone to a far greater hell than death._

 _She feared whatever this thing inside the sword was more than the wrath of her father._

* * *

The stories she heard about the Bottomless Canyon always began the same- A vast, empty blackness that stretched beyond the realm of reality. Those who fell in would cease to exist, their bodies would never be found for there was no bottom to go and collect them. Falling in meant never seeing the light of day again.

Were the stories true? Maybe, she certainly wasn't going to jump to find out.

Before her journey, the tales were always just that, stories to frighten her and keep her away from the endless darkness. Now that the princess had the opportunity to visit the canyon, could they still be considered tall tales in her mind.

By the gods, **no**. The stories couldn't prepare her enough for the sheer magnitude of the abyss below.

Jacob remained faithful by her side, calming her spastic nerves with his presence. "Be on your guard milady. The Phantoms are strong today."

Distorted misty images dotted the road, their features blurry spots of color of varying clarity. Some were short with long arms and big floppy ears, others were massive, hulking figures carrying what could only be giant, bladed weapons larger than her. They were all intimidating but among the apparitions one curled her blood the most. They were dark, towering shapes held up by numerous spider-like legs and gleaming a malevolent shade of purple.

No sound was present but even then, she swore she heard the mechanical whirl as they stalked their prey through the dense mist.

Hans took one look at the specters and scoffed, grinning a mocking smile, "Afraid of a few hallucinations girl?"

"It would be wise not to disregard them," Gunter advised, carefully observing his surroundings for a trace of an enemy, the phantoms unnerved him greatly, "Even if they are not real, reports have come forward of people being attacked when they appear. Brigands have been known to use them for ambushes."

"Let them come, I say!" Hans insisted, a maniacally spark in his eye, "All the more to fun to have."

A battle breaking out on the thin and crumbling pathways was the last thing she want, one false step and they'd never be seen again. Looking ahead of them was a bridge, the final obstacle that Kamui to tread in order to complete her test and earn her father's approval again.

It was deceptivaley rickity, at least she hoped it was, let it be her luck that the tattered rope was on it's final stand and would snap as they traversed over the wooden planks.

Taking one deep breath, the girl led her group over the gently swaying bridge. The first step felt like walking through a invisible veil, advancing from one world into the void between another. Passing through the veil a cold, angry glare locked onto her

Thankfully, their journey was nearing its end, as the fort was now within sight and once the inspection was over, she'd make certain to never fall into a situation that required her to come back. Kamui gave a smile at the thought but it only held for a second as she realized the fort wasn't as abandoned as it first appeared.

Soldiers she didn't recognize were stationed around the fort's perimeter bearing weapons fairly common in Hoshido.

Gunter cursed, "Blast! It looks like this fort isn't as abandoned as we thought. Why the devil is this place crawling with Hoshidans?"

She didn't have an answer for that, why anyone would willing agree to station a unit in this nightmare was beyond her.

"Halt!" A hoshidan soilder commanded, "Do not advance any farther, soliders of Nohr."

Frowning, Kamui gave the command to cease advancement. Gunter and Jacob complied immediantly, Hans stopped but sent her a hateful glare, leaving an ominese pit in her stomache.

A man lead a small group of soldiers as close as he dared without insighting a battle, "Crossing that bridge is a violation of our border treaty. Turn back at once, or we'll be forced to attack!"

"Well Milady, What should we do?" Jacob asked, moving forward to better defend his lady should a fight break out, otherwise remaining motionless.

Kamui quickly scouted the battlefield, while she had no doubt of the strength of her fellow companions, the risk that they could be overtaken by any hidden reinforcements ripped away any potential advantageous they would receive by taking the fort.

"We turn back." she decided, "We're only here to inspect the premise. Our task here is complete."

Gunter nodded in approval, "A wise choice Lady Kamui."

Hans snorted, "I say-"

He was abprutly cut off as excitable chatter filled the silence, grunts and squeals gradually drowning out the silence around them. The mist that permeated the field thickened, gaining shapes and colors, features clearing, detailing some of the strangest creatures Kamui had ever seen. Most were still unclear, but the creatures were as pyshical as one could be when made of mist.

"What in blazes..." Gunter wondered, growing wary of the phantoms becoming more tangable and gripping his lance tightly. The hoshidans growing more agitated by the second, "Just what are you plotting Nohrians!" One of the shouted, growing more unnerved as the chattering increased in volume.

Something was about to happen, something truly dreadful if they didn't evacuate immediately, she could feel it in her soul. Just what exactly she couldn't say, it was like looking at strange ceiling fixture above you, but slowly coming to comprehend that in reality, it was the foot of a giant about to crush you.

Kamui felt her horse startle, fear swelling in both the creature and her heart, "We need to-" Steel screeched as her sword slid out of it's holster, seemingly on it's own, glowing a sinisiter purple. She tensed and saw her companions and enemies follow her.

That dark foreboding presence the princess felt whenever she grasped the sword's handle began leaking out of the black steel. Around the sword, the air shook, obsidian malice spewing out of the Ganglari's cracks, crackling with evil and destructive hatred. For one split second, Kamui felt a vile, angry presence wash over her, shrinking down in terror when it's glare locked onto to her.

The sword propelled down like a orb of pure lead fired from a canon deep into the abyss, booming with speed as it was launched. An ear-piercing screech accompanied it's descent, spooking the horse Kamui was riding that it reared back and she fell off, clutching her head in agony.

A brief moment of beautiful silence followed, before an earth-shattering crack resounded, it's deafening bang echoing off the walls of the canyon tenfold, rattling the ground violently and sending everyone tumbling to the dirt.

Clouds of dust obscured her vision as the earth fell silent, bits of rock falling down from above before the billow of dirt finally settled. Coughing, Kamui pushed herself off the ground, dust clinging to her in thick layers, her once shining white hair a disgusting shade of brown.

"-cough- J-Jacob! G-Gunter!" She hacked a puff of dirt from her throat, "Are you guys alright!"

"I'm fine Milady!" Jacob called.

"As am I, Lady Kamui." Gunter responded with a cough of his own, having been thrown off his horse by the earthquake.

"Oh sure make no mention of me," Hans scoffed, before hacking up the dirt he just inhaled, "But what the hell was that!"

She was the slightest bit disappointed he didn't get thrown off the ledge when the earth shuddered, but Kamui mentally shook her head. There was no time to waste wishing someone fell to their deaths no matter how irritating they are, the biggest issue was she was now down a weapon and the Hoshidian army will more than likely take what just transpired as an act of aggression. Though she couldn't help the relief she felt now that the horrid blade was gone, the princess was still completely defenseless.

The squealing from earlier returned but sounded remarkably different, clearer, like the entire time she's been listening to it under a veil of water but could now hear it for what it truly was.

Looking to where the sound was coming from the blood in her veins froze. The misty images from before were back near the fort, fuller with bright colors and looked almost real, until she realized they were, when they viciously attacked a hoshidian guard killing the man who couldn't realize in time they were in fact no long illusions. Dozens of them came marching out of the darkness, growling and snarling, attacking anything that moved.

The smaller, pig-like creatures appeared to be simple enough to take out, but they grouped together in a brutal mob attack that overwhelmed the soldiers before they had a chance to comprehend what was going on. The taller ones swung massive two-handed weapons with one hand, knocking back their opponents with enough force to dent their armor.

"Wh-what the hell are those things!" Jacob hissed, jumping in front of Kamui blades drawn.

"I don't know," Gunter replied, "But be prepared! They're heading this way!"

"I didn't sign up for this crap." Hans growled.

Having finished off the small faction, the beasts shifted their attention to the only living humans in the entire canyon, wielding red stained clubs, eyes shining in blood lust. Charging forward, the smaller ones reached them first, lunging at Gunter with their wooden clubs.

Gunter speared one through the chest, completely bewildered when the creature vanished in a puff of purple smoke, leaving behind a collection of fangs and horns. With the death of one, two more replaced it.

While they were dealing with the smaller creatures, the bigger ones finally came within striking distance, swinging their giant spiked clubs with Kamui just being barely able to dodge.

"Lady Kamui!" Jacob shouted, attempting to force his way through with the creatures refusing to budge.

Dodging left and right, Kamui scolded herself for not bringing an extra sword and leaving herself completely defenseless. With the majority of the beasts railing around the men, Kamui was forced to distance herself, attempting to make her way to the now abandoned fort to procure a weapon from a fallen soldier. A few followed close behind but will her longer legs, she managed to keep a respectable distance from them.

Just as she spotted an discarded, a spiked club found itself in her side sending her flying. Gasping, she clutched her side, her armor was severely damaged but thankful took most of the blow. She'll bruise but nothing to major.

Towering over her was the giant beast, a single, long horn in the exact middle of it's forehead with an even long snout and small, white eyes. It raised it's club, preparing to strike as Kamui desperately tried to move out of the way.

A shriek of pain alerted her to the beast's unceremonious death, fading into smoke and leaving behind a strange assortment of items.

"Are you alright?" A voice that sounded strangely familiar to her asked. She looked up, and saw someone with her face. The same white hair, the same purple eyes that once haunted her dreams.

Her lungs refused to work, staring at the boy who could be her twin.

 **How was that action scene? I'm not the best at it so I tried my best to do what I could. What do you guys think? If you've got any advice on how to improve it I'd love to know.**


	4. An Unwelcome Encounter

**Eh, looking back on my previous chapters, I appear to be jumping all over the place narratively speaking. Is it too confusing for you guys? I feel like I should rewrite those parts to help the plot flow better and add in those points I forgot about in my rush to get the story going. Maybe I'll do that, I can never keep a consistent schedule for anything that doesn't have a deadline and I absolutely hate myself for it.**

Honestly, there were days when he just wanted to walk away and pretend he wasn't apart of the situation at all. He knew he couldn't, his conscious would never let him live with himself if he just walked away, burdened by the guilt that would pierce his heart like a stake and forever burn.

The moment Corrin heard the terrified screams through that splotch in the air, he hadn't hesitated for a second to charge forward. A feat he knew was incredibly reckless, who knew where the other end of this portal lay. It could have led to an underground prison haunted by the lost spirits of the fallen or a fiery volcano for all he knew, and to be quite frank, where he ended up didn't seem too far off from what he imagined.

The land was barren, devoid of life with this thick, eerie mist clung to the blackened trees and decayed landscape like a plague. Greystone, uneven grounds and a hauntingly deep abyss were all that greeted him the moment Corrin arrived.

Oh and the screams of the dying and ear-piercing screech of the monsters slaying their woefully unprepared opponents. By the Goddess, if this wasn't Hell by any stretch of the means, Corrin eat his damn hood.

A small platoon of Bokoblins noticed him, screeching their war-cries as they charged forward with laughably slow flying thrusts that Corrin easily dived out of the way, unsheathing his sword in the process and slaying one before the others spotted him.

Dodging another poorly executed flying leap by a disgruntled Bokoblin armed with a sword coupled with a diagonal sweep with his own left one less enemy on the field and another weapon to Corrin's arsenal.

It was just another old iron sword that would most likely fall to pieces with a few strikes but who was he to complain about a free weapon he flinched off a monster.

The soldiers finally found some ground against their assailants and began viciously attacking in retaliation. Many of the smaller creatures fell easily, but the Moblins still took out more soldiers than the amount of Moblin carcasses that poofed out of existence. The unfortunate ones lay dead or dying as the monsters refused to allow any to come close enough to offer any sort of aid.

A painful feeling twisted in his gut as he dodged not only enemy strikes but the corpses of those he potentially could have saved.

He was violently shaken out of his thoughts with a loud bang and a startled cry of pain. Frantically he whipped his head to the sound only to find a Moblin standing above a winded girl, a raised club prepared to strike.

With a speed he hardly knew anymore, the boy crossed the battlefield in an instant, gripping his sword tightly as he prepared for the one and only hit that would dispatch the potential murderer. With the creature's attention solely on its' downed foe, it failed to notice its' own impending death approaching. It was only a red Moblin thankfully, sporting many cuts and gashes across its' lanky body, so one slash down its' spine was all Corrin needed to finally vanquish the beast into whatever oblivion awaited it.

Corrin quickly scanned the area, searching for any potential monsters that could jump out and attack. When he found none that could pose a threat that wasn't already being taken care off by the soldiers nearby, Corrin turned his attention to the silver-armored girl laying on the ground.

"Are you alright?" He asked, watching curiously as she tensed before looking up as shock replaced his curiosity. She was young, most likely around his age, with the same hair color as him which he thought was interesting, but the second her eyes locked with his, he found himself looking at a mirror. Her eyes were a soft brown compared to his vibrant purple but other than that one difference, they were practically identical albeit the opposite genders from one another.

If he hadn't just come from a strange portal and not slept an entire century Corrin would believe he was looking at his twin sister. The girl appeared to be having a similar problem with him as she openly stared at him, frozen as though carved from stone.

As the seconds ticked by Corrin was growing antsy with the way she kept staring at him, eyes wide and shining with tears like she had just reunited with her long lost brother or something. Then again, he knew with absolutely certainly they couldn't be related but how was she supposed to know that? Still didn't help him with the situation at hand now did it?

"Miss?" He said, just barely keeping the nervous tone out of his voice from the way she fixed her gaze solely to him, "Are you hurt?"

She blinked, "O-oh, no." She choked back a sob, much to his growing confusion, "I'm fine."

He offered a hand to which she stared at for a moment before accepting, gripping so tightly he couldn't stop the wince from her grasp. So rigidly bound his hand was that for a moment Corrin wondered if she would rather shatter his bones than let go.

Resisting another wince, he hesitated a moment from her iron gaze and asked, "That's good, but uh, could you let go of my hand?"

She shot him a glare that was questioning exactly why she would do that before she seemed to realize where they were and reluctantly let go. He's not ashamed to admit he snatched his hand away at that exact moment and finally expressing his pain because _damn_ , does she have a strong grip.

Corrin honestly didn't feel bad when she looked mildly offended by his action...Ok, maybe he did just a tad bit. She just had this hurt expression on her face that made him want to drop down to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. Considering the ground was littered with the remains of both man and monster he'd have to pass.

"Sorry," he muttered apologetically, "I didn't mean it like that. You've just got...a strong grip that's all."

She blinked, "O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"S'alright, no harm no foul, okay?" He told her, to which she gave a small smile in return, "If you're not harmed I should probably be heading ba-"

All around them was the eerie grey mist that permeated the canyon, as he could now see, but nothing of the swirling black energy from when he first took note of it on the ocean of Mount. Lanayru. Maybe it was still there, but considering he could barely see a few meters away and still nothing, not even the smell of the salty sea air or the waves crashing into the mountainside echoed in this vast canyon, it probably wasn't there anymore.

The fact that he could hear the screams of the people being attacked from the other side rang painfully in his head now that there was nothing but silence when that he was here.

He swore something fierce that had his companion reeling back in shock from the words tumbling out of his mouth with righteous fury.

"Oh, what the hell!" he exclaimed angrily, snatching something from his belt hold and gazing down at it. With the sheikah slate in hand, he tried to bring up the sections of Hyrule's map he had managed to fill in with the intention of finding a shrine to teleport to. Much to his surprise, he found the map was a blank, static screen with the words 'Unknown location, Map not available.'

Corrin cursed again, tapping the screen in various locations attempting to bring up the Hylian map but to no avail. Goddess dammit, that portal better not have been a one-way street or so help which god or spirit that thought it funny to leave him stranded in unknown lands like this because he was going to hunt them down if he so had to.

'Damn! I knew it wasn't a good idea to jump headlong into that thing!' Mentally berating himself for his own reckless behavior, Corrin quickly went over his options into getting back home. With the portal out and the sheikah slat useless for getting out of here, Corrin had to concede he would have to ask his new associate for help. Did they even have any spells or technology to pass through realms or did he just doom Hyrule to an eternity of suffering?

No. No, he didn't. Not yet at least, not until every avenue has been explored that could end in failure but by the Goddesses, he would find a way back his to homeland. The boy turned his attention away from the screen, completely missing the way the slate's interface glitched and briefly showed the Lanayru region he arrived from before reverting back to static.

"You wouldn't happen to know where we are?" Corrin asked, watching with amusement as the girl was taken back from his explosive behavior before she straightened up and spoke with an uneasy tone.

"This is the Bottomless Canyon," she explained in bewilderment, to which he just shot her a blank stare, "The border between the Kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr."

"Bottomless Canyon, huh?" he mused blankly, leaning over the edge slightly to confirm if it really was bottomless, "Couldn't get more obvious with that one, huh? Not a place I recognize... Not like that's a hard thing to accomplish... But Hoshido and Nohr... Hmm."

'Were there any nearby kingdoms to Hyrule?' With the fate of Hyrule as it now stands, no nearby ruler was offering aid or hell, even invading their land for themselves as far as he knew. Whether this had to do with Calamity Ganon and his monsters ravaging the country into nothing or the possibility there were no other kingdoms _to_ lend their assistance Corrin couldn't fathom.

As far as his memory went, and it didn't go far, there weren't any such neighboring kingdoms to speak off. Surely Purah would have mentioned such a thing if it existed right?

'Ugh,' he was just getting more confused by the minute, 'Where the hell did that portal led to?'

Finally, after a minute of thoughts going nowhere, he said, "Can't say I've heard of them."

Growing mildly concerned with how much she's been staring at him, this time in utter shock and disbelief rather than the perplexing show of elation from earlier.

"Hh-how do you not know of Hoshido or Nohr?" She exclaimed.

Corrin shrugged, "Outta of town?"

She gaped, chocking on her words as she tried to decipher a reasonable explanation from his response. "H-how? That's not even possible!"

Now he was the one sending the incredulous looks, "Not even possible? What, do the oceans eat your ships around here or something? What does that even mean?"

"S-so I've always been told."

"...What?"

What a ridiculous statement, the oceans _devoured_ ships around here. What the hell? Who the hell told her that and why did she believe them? Maybe it is some nasty sea creature that has been destroying the ships that went by. That's a thing, right?

'Wait, this was getting out of hand, get back in the game Corrin! Don't speculate about nonsensical things when you're in the middle of misty hell.'

"Riiiiight, anyway," he said, changing the subject, "Know the way out of here uh..."

"Kamui," She responded instantly, "Princess of Nohr. I must thank you for saving my life earlier."

"Oh, uh, no problem...I guess," he replied awkwardly, not every day you rescue a princess from vicious monsters after all, "My name is Corrin, your Highness."

The white-haired girl froze the instant his name passed through his lips and all he could think was, 'Oh for the love of Hylia, what now?' He was honestly getting annoyed at the way Kamui kept freezing from just about anything he did. Was he somehow mistaken for a long lost brother or something because he sure as hell wasn't a prince.

Before the princess could get another word in, leaves began to rustle as an assortment of advancing footsteps began drawing near. Sounded like a platoon of some kind with the way the footsteps sounded metallic along with the vast number of them. Kamui began to pale considerable, noticing something in the distance that shook her severely to the core.

Naturally, he was curious so he took a look at what held onto her attention so firmly. What looked like a bridge was dangling on its last thread as it desperately clung onto whatever it could. Damn, not even _bridges_ wanted to into the abyss, but he still didn't see how that would cause alar-

It hit him like the spiked club of a Moblin and he was so stupid for not considering it.

"Those are Hoshidans?" He didn't need to ask but she nodded regardless. From her paling features, Corrin could only guess that the two kingdoms weren't exactly friendly with each other, and here they were, one former and greatly weakened knight and the princess of their (possible) enemy without a weapon of her own to defend herself.

Not only that, but there was absolutely no cover where they where the two could hide in a timely fashion before the enemy arrived. At the very least, the former champion could hold them off long enough for Kamui to escape if it came to that.

"Can you use any weapons?"

"Yes, a sword," the white-haired princess confirmed, "But I don't want to deprive you of your only weapon."

He couldn't help the amused smile that graced his face, "Don't worry 'bout that princess." Handing the princess the newly acquired sword he had gotten, to which she cautiously took the blade. "I've always got extras."

Blue light swirled into existence coming to rest on his back and taking the shape of a sword before solidifying into a brand new weapon.

Corrin kept a tense stance, ignoring Kamui's awe of magical teleporting in weapons from seemingly nowhere, attempting to appear nonchalant but ready to strike at a moments notice. He hoped to Goddess it was just some random bandits and not anyone from the Hoshidian army. All the monsters were destroyed, leaving behind nothing to use as concrete proof of their existence with Corrin and the princess the only living beings remaining amidst a massacre of Hoshidan soldiers.

'Damn, what I wouldn't give for one of those stupid monsters to still be alive, then maybe we could have gotten out of this without starting a war between these two.' If there wasn't one already, the princess of an enemy kingdom discovered among the slaughtered soldiers would surely spark a war. 'Just what I freakin' needed.'

People wearing uniforms that vaguely reminded Corrin of the humble villagers he had seen wondering around Kakariko village sprung out of the tree line and they were instantly spotted and surrounded.

'Brilliant, just as I feared.' Corrin thought, distinctly taking count of how many were actually there, 'Too many to fight, hopefully, I can convince them it wasn't us who killed their men.'

Shooting a glance at Kamui, who looked ready to fight but just coming to realize they might be dead from the sheer number of enemies alone looked at Corrin with the desperate hope he'd have a plan out of this mess. He gave her a confident smile and whispered, "Just follow along."

She gave a slight nod.

"Nohrian scum!" One of them hissed angrily, "There won't be any mercy for what you have done here."

Corrin couldn't help the cheeky smirk on his face, "Done? Why I'll have you know we just got here. And really, Nohrian scum? Hasn't anyone taught you how to treat a lady?"

"Silence Nohrian!"

"HA! Jokes on you, I'm a Hylian!"

"Oh really?" what he could only assume to be the commander of this little brigand sneered, "and what are a bunch of _Hylians_ " he spat the word that said everything he thought about it, "doing at a military base with all its' soldiers dead?"

Corrin deadpanned, "...You must not be very good at your job if you missed the rather... _obvious_ signs all around you."

"What! You insolent-"

He had to hide the rather nasty grin forming on his face with a dramatic sigh,"Dear me, do you honestly think me and my dear 'sister' here could take out an entire military base on our own?" Corrin didn't bother to look back at Kamui's incredulous expression but he could practically feel the 'WTH are you doing, you're going to get us killed' look she was sending his way.

"Look around and you will see no Nohrian corpses, but ah! I do see a lot of discarded weapons. Goodness me, who uses such barbaric weapons such as this. Far too many for me and my darling sister to carry." Scattered around the barren land were several spiked clubs far too long for human heights and an assortment of swords and wooden clubs added into the mix. By every weapon was the monster remains Corrin knew were left behind by any of Calamity Ganon's minions. Bones, horns and strangely colored organs lay in disgusting clumps next to their former weapons.

"And what are those? Bones and some rather disgustingly squishy things all over? I heard some powerful magic user could use those items to create some rather fearsome monsters. Surely you knew about that?"

By now, the soldiers were glancing around the battlefield, perhaps noticing for the first time the unusual weapons far too long for human use, still wet with the blood of their allies and the remains they had no explanation for. And just like Corrin claimed, not a single Nohrian soldier in sight. They certainly didn't show anything if they were reconsidering their position to which Corrin was certainly impressed by their control, though it made it far more difficult to tell if they had an ounce of doubt that he and Kamui were the perpetrators in this mess.

The commander scoffed, "Regardless of whether or not you are responsible for this massacre, you are still on restricted grounds, and for that, you will have to answer to Prince Ryoma."

Damn, of course, they wouldn't be allowed to leave so easily. Better than having to fight them all when the two white-haired teens were sorely outnumbered.

"Very well," Corrin conceded, "I suppose that's to be expected." For good measure, he turned around to face Kamui and said, "I told you we should have kept on the road but you just had to go exploring, didn't you?"

For what it's worth any emotional expression she could have worn that would have screwed with his plan because he was taking a gamble without even knowing if she could lie her way out of a broken pot, was wiped with indignation at the idea that this was all her fault, "What? How is this all my fault?"

"You're the one who claimed you could see a Keaton and ran after it. What was I supposed to do? Let my poor sister run off into the unknown alone with such horrible monsters scampering around?"

He could barely hold in his snickering at Kamui admittedly adorable face, and no, he's not a narcissistic thank you for asking, at her confused anger. Probably wondering what a Keaton was and why she was the one getting the blame for their current position.

"Enough," A new and rather intimidating voice commanded, a few soldiers in the back parted ways for a tall warrior in red and even from where he was standing Corrin would tell instantly he would not win a fight against this man if they had to flee. This was Prince Ryoma, no doubt about it and for the love of all the Golden Goddesses and Hylia herself, he hoped the prince would believe his fanciful lie and let them leave unharmed.

Judging by the way he froze in a rather familiar and irritating way, that was not going to happen. Corrin raised an eyebrow, turning to look at his 'sister' to see if she had any explanation as to why the red prince was, dare he say it, hopeful as he gazed at them. She looked just as confused as he was, no luck there.

"Corrin, Kamui. Is that you?"

Wait, what?

 **Damn, that just kept going didn't it, but I must have a gift for stopping chapters around the 3,000-4,000 word count even if my word program doesn't show it at all. It just gets in my head that 'You have to stop now! I don't care if you want to keep writing stop now!' Regardless, I tried to show the action more now since one guy said, to which I agreed with, I was more describing what had already happened than having it happen at the moment, so much better at that. If you have any tips on how to improve my story I'd love to hear it.**

 **Just had to add this in, since Corrin is not a prince or in anyway related to royalty, he's much more free-spirited and certainly much more open about messing with people he doesn't like. Any rules or restrictions he had as a Knight of Hyrule has pretty much been wiped so he has no qualms about being sassy/annoying or just straight up trollish because you got to find some sort of way to amuse yourself when you're traveling all alone in a monster-infested land. He's also very sarcastic for pretty much the same reason. A fairly different person from how Kamui was raised, which might spark up some interesting storylines, no?**


	5. An Impossible Revelation

**Another chapter on the way? Sheesh, let's see how long this lasts. Hopefully, a while because I actually like writing these stories even if my update schedule doesn't seem to reflect that. Anyway, a review brought up something about gaming mechanics I would like to ask all of you. How do you feel about gaming mechanics in stories, especially ones like this? Would you write them out entirely or try to work them in somehow? For this, I'm thinking about leaving them as they are but not highlighting them as important to the story, like a background event that just happens offscreen, so they won't return as such an integral role like in the last chapter. Perhaps I'll go into further detail later on in the story but I honestly don't have any plans at the moment.**

 **For now, let's just enjoy where the story is now and the impending frustration that's going to come from the Hoshido family and Corrin. XD**

In retrospect, he really should have expected this, a kingdom and its crown would be familiar with the ruling body of its neighbor, be they friend or foe. What in Goddesses' name made him think he could get away with feigning sibling-ship with a princess to someone who could easily call out his bluff.

If anything it would only just get him confused as a part of the Nohrian royal family because what explanation could he give to explain his, quite frankly, creepy resemblance to a princess from another world without being labeled mentally insane?

Corrin should have expected she would be recognized, but no preparation nor prior thought could have prepared him for this.

"Corrin, Kamui?" The red prince breathed, the words barely tumbling out with awe and a desperate longing for reality to stay true to his eyes. "Is that you?"

A switch had been flipped. The second his name was spoken by a man Corrin neither recognized but knew with absolute certainty that such knowledge could not be known, was the moment this man turned into an enemy.

Gone was the easy-going smile, one he could now see was a fatal mistake, replaced with narrow eyes and an icy glare that could freeze the fiercest of flames. What a mistake it had been to not have his best weapons within reach, Goddess knows how that would help him against so many enemies but the heavy weight on his back would be a comfort with his rather unfavorable odds.

"How do you know my name?" He demanded coldly, eyes glaring at the blatant shock (was that some degree of despair in his eyes?) in the prince's form at his sudden shift.

The Hoshidan Prince had been elated at the sight of his siblings who were once so far out of reach that it seemed to be nothing more than an illusion to see them standing before him like this. He had expected some confusion, the lies the Nohrians had told them would cloud their judgment but he was certain that in time, they would remember who their true family was.

The outright hostility and acidic behavior displayed by Corrin in contrast to his bright and earnest temperament before was unexpected and jarring. His confident smile slipped the moment his name was said and replaced with unease and the type of controlled desperation one gets when they realize they are surrounded by enemies and are prepared to fight for their lives.

It pained Ryoma greatly to realize neither one of his siblings recognized their older brother anymore and that they might actually fear their safety around him.

"Do you not remember me?" He asked them, disconcerted when his question did nothing but add fuel to the fire in Corrin's eyes.

"I have heard of you," Kamui spoke, iron in her gaze, "High Prince of Hoshido and an enemy of Nohr. You ask if I remember you but I am quite certain we have never met before."

Not even a spark, just a hardened gaze, and a poise ready to strike.

Corrin grew more and more uneasy with every word that came out the prince's mouth. So tense and wound-up he was starting to concern some of the soldiers, the tension was suffocating. One more comment about his memory and Corrin was going to lose it.

How did a prince from another realm know his name? Some dark thought was beginning to creep into his mind no matter how much he tried to shake it. Did the Yiga clan even know his name? They had always addressed him as 'the hero,' so he had assumed it was by the sheikah slate by which they identified him. After all, what reason would assassins have to uncover the name of a hero not seen in a century when there was a much simpler way of confirming.

He couldn't tell if it was foolish with a severe degree of paranoia to assume that Calamity Ganon had such a large influence when he had no other reasonable explanation to turn to.

Few people knew who he was and even fewer knew his name, and all those people could be found back in Hyrule. A prince from another dimension, or whatever this place was, had no reason to have that kind of intel and it set him on edge.

All he wanted right now was to get the hell away from this confounding place so we could procure a way back to his homeland.

"Now, there's no need for violence," Ryoma stated calmly, voice even despite the turmoil within him. There were two determined teenagers one inch away from retaliation which he did not wish to confront, "We can resolve this peacefully."

"And why should I believe you?" Kamui shot back, grip tightening on the hilt or her borrowed blade.

Corrin couldn't hear the response, a wave of dark energy pulsed so suddenly it nearly sent him tumbling to the earth. Thank the goddesses for steady feet otherwise he'd be face-first in the dirt. He could identify a wave of dark energy pulsed from somewhere in the distance and once again he realized something that should have been obvious from the moment he stepped foot in this infernal place.

There was a large concentration of dark, hateful energy residing somewhere obscured by the mist. No one seemed aware of the wave that just washed by without a sound but it was _everywhere,_ staining the walls and tainting the very ground he stood on.

How the hell was there malice here?!

That just brings a whole new load of questions Corrin wasn't sure how to respond anymore, just add it to the pile along with 'what was Ganon doing sending a horde of monsters here in the first place?' because he sure as hell didn't have an answer for that.

"-in? Corrin?" He could hear Ryoma's attempts to draw him back into the conversation at hand. Damn, as much as he hated it, he knew both of them were at his mercy. Ryoma was strong, there was no denying the way Kamui faltered when attempting to gauge her chances at victory, and there's no way the white-hair teen could count with any degree of certainty to his liking about his chances of winning if any fight broke out. Far too many to account for at his current strength no matter what kind of weapons he had at his disposal.

Sure, they wouldn't expect him to be hauling around more objects then what they could perceive on him at the moment, despite his earlier claims and the fact he didn't even have other weapons to surprise them with, having given the last of his backups to Kamui. Showing off what his sheikah slate could accomplish in regards to runes when Corrin was uncertain of their true motives was a dumb move from any angle.

Instead, he stood up straight and stared the Prince in the eye, refusing to give in if he intended for their death, "Well, I can only assume since you have us surrounded and you still want to resolve this peacefully that you don't want to kill us. Am I correct?"

"Your death is the last thing I desire Corrin, that I can promise you," Ryoma stated firmly and with such conviction that left Corrin staring in surprise. While this wasn't exactly how he imaged their reunion going, it was far better then he had feared was going to happen with the open hostility displayed moments before.

"Like I have any choice but to take your word for it." Corrin retorted hotly. Turning back to Kamui he noted her sword was still out and she was glaring at him as though he just told an intimate secret of hers, absolute betrayal on her face. The teen raised an eyebrow before replying to her with a deadpan stare, "If you think you can take them, be my guest but don't say I didn't warn you, your Highness."

With his back turned he missed the befuddled expression on Ryoma's face at his formal address to the girl. It wasn't a nickname, the teen had spoken it in the same fashion a knight would speak to a member of nobility despite his dismissive tone; cold and detached without a hint of familiarity one would expect from siblings.

Thankfully, Kamui seemed to understand how woefully outnumbered the two were and any fight she wanted to instigate was going to end in her defeat. He wasn't banking on her fighting prowess to be that extraordinary as to solve the issue of numbers, she could be an amateur at fighting for all he was aware, not good odds for survival at any rate.

Corrin had Hyrule to think of and if dealing with another kingdom was what it took to find his way back then he had to suck it up and deal with for as long as it took.

Goddess he hoped he was making a huge mistake by trusting the hoshidan prince.

* * *

Both the white-haired teens were irritable, obviously not at all pleased with the way this turned out but with enough sense to realize there was nothing they could do to change it in their favor. They had no choice but to follow Ryoma to whatever fate awaited them in Hoshido.

A whole assortment of complicated feelings began to settle in his heart, leaving him with apprehension for what was to come. The Bottomless Canyon was one disturbing place even without the Malice seeping into the earth like the vile plague it was. Leaving was the only option he had, there was no guarantee the portal would emerge regardless of how Long Corrin could stall the march.

Maybe if he had stayed, he could have something, anything that could lead back to Hyrule, but under his guard's watchful eye, he couldn't so much as take one step in the wrong direction without someone subtly discouraging him from picking a route and fleeing as fast as his feet could carry him.

They had him walking alongside Kamui, which only made the journey slightly more uncomfortable. The side glances and long, unblinking stares she kept directing his way watching his every move with far more scrutiny than strictly necessary.

'When did my one ally in this turn into another chaperone?' Corrin grumbled to himself. He might have had more appreciation if she was still glaring at him, at least then he'd have some idea to the reasoning behind her actions. Nope, those brown eyes of hers had locked onto his form and refused to budge for even a second. It was beginning to creep him out. If he had any self-worth as a knight dealing with royalty than he should have the restraint to refrain from snapping and being put on some execution order because Goddess knows if these countries had a degree like that somewhere. He sure as hell wasn't going to risk it.

From behind, Ryoma was observing the way the twins interacted with each other, how Kamui refused to let Corrin leave her sights for even a second, always a few steps behind but no farther than he'd be out of arm's reach and how Corrin would occasionally glance back to see her and try to move farther away from the girl to no avail, growing more frustrated when she wouldn't take the hint and leave him alone.

Surely just a spat between siblings, right? Even the closest of siblings can disagree and be exasperated with each other, but the more he watched, the more uncertain he was becoming about the nature of their relationship.

"Can you see it as well, Lord Ryoma?" Kaze, a ninja in service to the hoshidan throne commented.

He remained silent for a moment, contemplating what the ninja was speaking of. "Are you certain you didn't see Corrin in Nohr?" Ryoma inquired, something wasn't adding up, too many details were going astray and what little he could fathom was painting a much different picture than he previously thought.

"I'm positive my Lord," the ninja replied, further adding to the enigma, "Lady Kamui was the only one besides the Nohrian royals at the capital from what little I could gather."

Ryoma had considered the probability Corrin was simply absent during Kaze's encounter with his lost sister in the dark and gloomy palace of Nohr, it was not that absurd to believe he was elsewhere when it occurred. A misguided hope of his when Kaze and Rinkah returned with the only news of his sister to have been discovered in years but in the same breath, failing to provide any intel on the whereabouts of Corrin.

One look at Corrin's face was enough for Ryoma to discern the very real possibility that Corrin may have never set foot in Nohr. Most of his head was blanketed by a hooded blue cape casting a light overshadowed over his amethyst eyes but even then it couldn't hide the fact that Corrin's skin was tan, a complete contrast to the pale skin of Kamui, who has lived nearly her entire life under the oppressive clouds above Nohr, ones that consume even the strongest rays of sunlight.

The contrast was even in their attire; Kamui in elegant silver armor befitting a noble while Corrin was in a modest red tunic. Granted while he did have on thick leather armor, Corrin was more subtly dressed for long travels and it showed with the patches of dust clinging to his clothing, leaving him with a more worn and rugged appearance.

A silver princess and a traveling warrior, the two couldn't be more opposed to the other if they tried.

Despite his musings, the notion of Corrin traversing throughout Hoshido for years without a sighting from the vast amount of search parties and military patrols was simply absurd, yet the evidence spoke for itself. Corrin was well versed in traveling long distances, he had yet to grow tired from their long journey when Kamui needed a few breaks before she began to find her pace. His purple eyes swept the landscape drinking in his surroundings with a curious lack of familiarity, very similar to Kamui who was openly gazing in awe of the land before her in between watching Corrin like an overbearing mother.

* * *

As the journey proceeded to what he could only guess to be the capital of Hoshido, Corrin was detailing as much of their course as possible, memorizing every route they took, every little landmark that he could use to aid his path back to that malice hellhole appropriately named the Bottomless Canyon. It was fairly straightforward, they didn't take too many turns mainly staying in a somewhat direct path to the east. Shouldn't be too difficult to find his way back with the sun lighting the path.

He felt a twitch in his left eye as a flash of silver materialized out of the corner of his eye. Opting to ignore the silver flash in favor of the approaching town peering from the distance, he breathed a sigh of relief when the stare that had been stubbornly fixed on him the entire journey was stolen away by the sight of Hoshido's capital. Corrin couldn't blame her, the sight left him transfixed for another reason separate from her.

He couldn't remember a time where there so many people milling about their daily lives with a peaceful, carefree manner that made his heart ache for a time when ruins were once strong and full with people just like this going about their lives without a care in the world. All he had of his former life were ghosts and ruins that the sight of such a tranquil town brought many questions that continued to plague his mind. 'Was this what Hyrule was like before Calamity Ganon?'

Kamui herself had many questions of her own, many she felt would never be answered. As long as she could remember, visions of the one in front of her would be the only dreams she would ever have. Plenty of details went astray as that was the nature of dreams and very few would show with such clarity it could have very well been an event that occurred yesterday.

There wasn't much she could recall, but death and suffering was a prominent element that she couldn't forget even if she so desired it so and to see someone she had witness dying so many times and so clearly was disturbing. Back then she had questioned whether the boy in front of her was another product of the Bottomless Canyon's hallucinations much in the same vein as those horrid creatures that attacked the hoshidan soldiers.

The moment he lent his hand to her and she felt warm _living_ flesh with hers, Kamui began questioning the nature of the dreams that caused no amount of suffering to both herself and her dear friends and siblings. Were they visions of possible futures? Or something else entirely?

Kamui had feared that the moment Ryoma led them away from the canyon that the white-haired boy would be proven a hallucination and vanish before her eyes just mist evaporating in the wake of the sun. She wanted to reach out and touch him again, just to prove to herself that he was real but he kept moving away. It pained her heart to see him reject her in such a manner that continued to baffle her.

So she kept a close watch on him, waiting for that one moment that he would disappear and leave her all alone again.

It was only by reaching the capital did her attention wavering. The bright atmosphere was almost blinding and the gentle din of the people talking to their neighbors, to the boisterous laughter of children roaming the streets amidst in games only they comprehend brought forth a strange sense of comfort and realism. It brought her attention to just how odd a scene she and her traveling companion must be forming; a Nohrian princess and a stranger accompanied by the crown prince of Hoshido and his guard.

Kamui steeled her nerves to ignore the stares and the whispers as the two were led into the castle and directly into the throne room. What was going on? When Corrin all but surrendered to Ryoma back at the canyon, she had surmised they were to be used as political hostages to Hoshido and be taken straight to a prison of some form. Corrin's resemblance to her was the only reason in her eyes as to why he was involved in this mess, yet Ryoma had known his name. It didn't prevent the guilt from eating away at her heart regardless.

Coming to rest near the throne, Ryoma circled back towards them with a reassuring smile, easing the tension out of her, Corrin remained agitated regardless of Ryoma's attempt to calm him. Eyeing the room and the other attendants in the room with distrust.

"There is no reason to be anxious my dear, you are safe here."

Corrin barely reacted to the voice but she paid no mind to him, focusing all her attention on the one who had spoken with such gentleness that all her fears dissipated into the morning sky. It was a woman dressed all in white and a golden halo woven into her dark hair, who smiled so warmly, her eyes shining with unbridled love and affection for the two of them.

Kamui was taken back by the emotions present in the woman's eyes, giving her no time to respond when she gracefully swept the two of them into her arms.

"Oh my sweet children, you're finally home."

Any ease that may have been culminating at that very moment shatter like a glass ball and she froze, mind unable to comprehend the words the woman had spoken.

"What? H-how- what are you talking about?" She exclaimed, "T-that's not possible!"

"I assure you it is my dear Kamui. I am Mikoto, your mother." She said once she released the two of them.

"And I am your older brother," Ryoma said, "That would make you both apart of the royal family of Hoshido."

"B-but how? I still don't understand? It's-"

"Impossible."

Kamui was caught off guard, in her disarray she had overlooked Corrin. Corrin clenched his fist so tightly into his leather bound palm that his fingers were bleeding red, eyes narrow with anger at the woman claiming to be their mother.

"Corrin, I promise you what I am saying is true." Mikoto said, "Please if you'll allow me to explain-"

"There's nothing to explain." He replied coldly, "I do apologize I am not more formal with you Your Majesty, but I did not come here to be so blatantly insulted."

"Corrin!" Ryoma reprimanded, "That is no way to speak to your mother."

"No, no, it's alright Ryoma." Mikoto said sadly, hurt in her eyes but also a sorrowful awareness, "I understand this may be hard for you Corrin, truly I do."

The anger subsided, fingers loosening from his constricted hold allowing the blood to drip down onto the rich carpet below. All that was left was an empty stare that held no emotion but despair and a sad, tormented smile.

"No, you really don't understand."

 **...**

 **Sad part to leave off on...Eh, not sure what to say with that as a lead, geeze. Now I'm just making myself depressed. This chapter was a hard one to write, not because I couldn't find the words but I kept getting distracted by Fire Emblem Heroes and the story my head wants to write about FE x Loz warriors. At least get somewhere substantial before you start thinking of 'spinoffs' sheesh. I really wanted to have a fight between Ryoma and Corrin but nope! Had to do it the easy way huh?** **There probably could have been a fight with the Nohrian siblings but I totally didn't forget about that, nooooooo. You're imagining things.**

 **3,000-word count again. It's a gift.**


	6. To Live a Lie or Bear The Harsh Truth?

**I'm noticing a trend when it comes to this story. I could go the entire day without writing a single word but the second nightfall comes it's like suddenly I'm hit with inspiration and I have to write it now. 'It doesn't matter if you stay up until midnight you are finishing this chapter and uploading it today!' Probably a good explanation to things I end up forgetting and have to find a workaround. Like the last chapter, I'm writing out more of my plan, because I have a lot of the 'lore' planned out but not so much when it comes to actual events past a certain point when I realize I forgot the single most important detail to Fire Emblem; the fire emblem.**

 **The second I remembered that I was all 'SHIIIIIT! How could I forget about the fire emblem, it's the freakin' name!' (-My memory at it's finest...) Now I've got to find a way to plug it into the story, so far all I got is something that happens alongside the Zelda half or it's completely on its own in isolation with the 'fates story.' How that makes any sense is a spoiler so I won't go into too much detail but I'm leaning more into the isolated story element as so far it's not a major part of the story, especially fates version of the fire emblem but if you guys think I should include it, I'll try my best to work it in somehow.**

 **Or considering Anankos is not apart of the story should the Fire Emblem even exist at all. Very confusing.**

He hadn't wanted to snap, not in the presences of a ruling body. A knight of his caliber should not stoop to petty outbursts of anger. (Though could he really be considered a knight anymore? He had failed his King, the kingdom he swore to protect now lay in ruins and the princess he was ordered to protect was left to face the primal evil on her own while he lay dying. What an absolute failure he was.)

Corrin should have taken his chances and fled. The situation was developing exactly as he feared, he had been mistaken as a prince, as Kamui's twin brother. It was far more complicated than a simple misunderstanding of identity as he initially believed. Corrin didn't know whether to pity them for attempting to project their absent brother on him or feel insulted on behalf of said brother for being so easily accepted as him.

The way the queen looked at him, miserable and heartbroken, drained the fury away and all he felt was the emptiness that occasionally tormented his heart. She was assured in her belief that he was her son, even after he treated her so callously.

She believed herself to be his mother, but all she had accomplished in proclaiming that was forcefully tearing holes in his mind on the nature of who he was. Did he have a mother, a father, or even a sibling before the destruction of Hyrule? Were they still alive before Ganon appeared, had they been gone long before or...had he been forced to leave them to die at the hands of the autonomic guardians?

The fact he felt absolutely nothing while these questions raged in his mind sickened him. His family had never crossed his mind, what was the point? They were gone and he couldn't do anything to save them so what was the issue in dwelling on them when Hyrule was at stake now. He never felt more like a disgrace to his kin in his short time awake than he did at this very moment.

It was petty and woefully unfair to Queen Mikoto to blame her for his feelings, but it was so easy when she opened the floodgates, with the best intentions only a loving parent could give their child.

But Corrin wasn't her child and it would be a disgrace to her true son to allow this farce to go on for much longer.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not who you think I am," Corrin stated firmly.

"A-as am I." Kamui chimed in, she didn't have the same confidence in her answer as Corrin, much to her dismay, "My father is King Garon! Xander is my older brother! Leo, Elise, and Camilla are my siblings…"

Corrin tensed when she said her father's name, recognization coupled with some emotion she didn't catch flashing in his purple eyes before it faded. Geeze, could any person be so unfortunate to bear such a similar name to Ganon of all things? Poor bastard.

Oh wait, he'd just insulted a king, his former self would be so disappointed in him.

Mikoto mistook his uneasy at the name not for how similar it was to his mortal enemy but to the man, this King Garon of Nohr himself, and cautioned a guess with anticipation, "Surely you must remember King Garon Corrin?"

He snorted in amusement, just what lengths would the queen go to convince him of their non-existent kinship, "Nah, he's just got a very similar name to a...thing I dislike greatly."

More like despised really but who's keeping track? It's all going to end the same way regardless.

"Speaking of that," Corrin tipped his boot on the floor impatiently, "I should be returning home soon. Am I free to leave, your Majesty?"

"But you are home, Corrin." Mikoto assured with a sad smile, coming to a conclusion that he may have found something else, "Or did you find a new mother?"

Corrin flinched at the word, the questions began raging in his mind like a swarm of bloodthirsty Keese, the guilt clawing at his insides for the emptiness he felt towards his family. The quilt came out as a haunting and bitter laugh, all those who heard it could help but wince at the hollowness in his voice, "Find a new mother? Ha, who knows, I certainly don't. It wouldn't matter anyway, she'd have died a long time ago... like almost everyone else I knew."

Nothing more was said, the silence that engulfed the room was tainted in grief and melancholy that was only made heavier by how detached it felt from Corrin deeply entwined with a strange longing of something lost but was left with no idea what that thing was.

"Corrin." Kamui faltered, her situation, as difficult and hard to believe as is was, seemed almost frivolous when confronting that absent gaze of purple that once haunted her dreams. She's seen those eyes hold many times, watched the one who carried them through fire and despair to know there was much more hidden behind the emptiness. Depression, shame, quilt shown like flash fires in the darkness despite his attempts to bury them. They weighed down on his shoulders like lead weights in a vast ocean, drowning in the cold darkness.

In the midst of such sadness, the resolve to carry on burned the brightest.

It comforted her in ways that she couldn't quite explain, though if Ryoma and Mikoto were to be believed, it was due to the fact they were twins. Kamui could certainly understand that; they were almost identical barring a few differences and she certainly wanted to believe. But that would mean the story the two Hoshidan Royals told was true, her siblings back in Nohr never mentioned Kamui having a twin brother, not that Kamui had very memories of her childhood but surely she would remember her brother?

She wanted to reach out and comfort him, show him he wasn't alone in this and regardless of their relationship, he could rely on her. Anything to clear away that shadow in those eyes.

Taking one last look at Corrin, she straightened her shoulders and focused her gaze at Mikoto speaking calmly but with steely determination, "Regardless of our past relations be they true or false, I have a family I wish to return to and no doubt Corrin has something that he must return to as well."

She turned to Corrin, noting the confused look he sent her at the sudden burst of confidence contrasting her earlier hesitation and skepticism at their claims. Seemingly gaining strength from her, the darkness ebbed away, leaving only a fiery determination that made his eyes sparkle like the gemstones they resembled.

Mikoto withheld a tearful smile, the children she had longed to see were set on denying their blood, determined to leave back to the lives they had built in Nohr and the lands Corrin claimed to hail from. When news of her children reached her, Mikoto was overtaken with joy. Her children were finally returning to her. Kamui was everything she had expected of someone living in Nohr and she held onto the hope that Corrin was the same. She, like Ryoma, didn't want to accept that Corrin had not been taken by Garon and had wondered the lands undetected for years but the proof was right before her eyes.

She could see the hesitation in Kamui's eyes and the hope that her memories of a time long ago would return began to burn just a little bit brighter. No such hesitation existed in Corrin, he was firmly grounded in his denial, eyeing the room for potential hidden guards and openings to flee without another word.

Of course, Kamui's words hurt deeply. Of all things Mikoto imagined that had befallen her children, the Nohrians treating them as their own wasn't a possibility she had considered before. Still, she held onto the belief that their memories would return and they could once again be the family she lost so long ago.

"I suppose the blame could only be me," Mikoto said softly, "To expect you would believe me so readily after so much time has passed."

Corrin snorted, muttering under his breath, "You have no idea."

"I hope that over time you come to see the truth for what it is."

"And how long would that be?" Corrin asked, crossing his arms in annoyance, "I'm afraid I can't stay long going along with this. I would have thought you would want to find your real son instead of attempting to convince a second-rate version of him of what is obviously not true."

"A second-rate? Corrin, where is this coming from? How can you call yourself a second-rate when you are the mirror image of Kamui?" Ryoma questioned, only years of experience with the council of Hoshido granted him the restraint to withhold his growing frustration, "If I may ask, why are you so certain what we speak is false?"

Corrin shot him a deadpan look, the notion that he was their kin so incredulous he was questioning why they even believed it in the first place, the hosidian royals were slightly taken back by his conviction, "Lots of reasons really. I'm not from around here, Kamui could confirm that one, but I only need two to deny everything.

From what little he had seen of the people in this world, from the soldiers in the Bottomless Canyon to the few civilians they had seen, they all had tiny, rounded ears. This applied to Mikoto and Ryoma and unless there were Hylians around somewhere for one to be his supposed father then it was safe to assume that 'their' Corrin shared that trait. Was it possible a Hylian had wondered into this land long before him? Considering how he got here in the first place, highly unlikely. And what was the possibility that even if a Hylian did manage to find his way to Hoshido, he would end up crossing paths with the Queen of all people and have children?

It was either a carefully planned coincidence or Corrin was the king of Hyrule.

Corrin was banking on the idea that the other Corrin was just like his sister, between the soldiers' lack of awareness about the monsters that attacked them and the fact the ninja from earlier gave no other acknowledgment to his proclamation of being a Hylian other than angry skepticism. It was looking more and more likely there were no hylians here.

It was reckless to pull back the hood of his cape when Corrin had no idea how they would respond to his true nature. The hostility and anger directed at him when it was initially believed he was a Nohrian didn't inspire any confidence in him, but it was certainly the easiest way to prove to them he wasn't their kin.

"I can assume that the Corrin you're speaking of looks exactly like me," Corrin began, gazing at Kamui who looked back in mild confusion wondering where he was going with this, "He would be my spitting image, correct?"

"Yes, he would," Mikoto said growing more concerned by the second. Corrin was referring to himself in the third person. Was the thought of the two of them being related by blood so horrid that he would try to distance himself and deny everything? "Many years we have searched and not a soul resembles him much like you do."

Ryoma and Kamui were also observing him wondering where the hell this was going and how what he was about to reveal would prove Corrin wasn't the one they believed he was.

"Then," Corrin paused, taking a moment to question if he really should be doing this. The elation and motherly love Mikoto had for him when she thought he was her Corrin made him falter. She truly believed both her children had returned to her. He would have to be without a heart to so callously tear that away from her but what would be crueler in the long run? Allowing her the delusion she's tried to convince him of or leave her with the reality that her son is still out of her reach?

He let out a sigh, cruel as it may be, she needed to know her son was still out there. Corrin certainly couldn't replace her long-lost child, not when it meant he would have to leave her shortly after their 'reunion.' It would certainly be painful, but Corrin couldn't image the heartache Mikoto would have to live through if he allowed himself to impersonate her lost child and then left back to his land without a word.

Corrin barely registered the shock and startled gasps when he pulled his hood down, revealing his long, pointed ears of his Hylian blood. The only discernible feature he had of his true heritage.

"I may not know why I resemble your son so closely or why we bear the same name, your Majesty, " Corrin said, "But I know with certainty we are not one in the same."

 **I honestly don't want to stop here but the words simply won't come out, I guess the chapter decided it was done and there's not much I can do about that. How did I do on Corrin's conflicting emotions? I tried to have him unnerved by the lack of emotions he felt towards the people he once knew a long time ago. The first time I wrote it out and reread it, I was all 'Corrin sounds like a sociopath!' I was trying to make Corrin upset by how indifferent he felt towards his past and it ended up like a psychopath trying to pretend he gave a shit. Hopefully, this attempt is better but if you have any advice on how I can improve it, it would be most appreciated.**


	7. Anger and Grief

**Ugh, this chapter was an absolute bitch to write. Short bursts of activity then absolutely nothing. Then work comes along and drains any and all motivation to do anything and then these stories fade away to nothing. -**

 **Terribly sorry for those who are actually interested in this story. I'll certainly try harder to write but sometimes these things refuse to be written down. The chapter's a little short but I hope you enjoy it.**

Out of all the surprises that revealed themselves out of the woods, Kamui was the least surprise about Corrin's ears. It was just another mark to proof he was the boy she had seen in her dreams since childhood. Yet, despite all the evidence, some small part of her hoped Corrin was simply someone unfortunate enough to look like her 'twin' by some wild turn of fate. With the hood drawn and the truth revealed, she couldn't deny it any longer.

In all honesty, she could see Corrin no other way; every time he graced his presence in her dreams was the same. The same silky-looking white hair (though she did note with some interest sometimes his hair was a very pretty platinum blond color) his eyes were always the brilliant purple that put even the brightest jewels to shame and the long, pointed features of the one standing before her had. It simply wasn't a possibility that he could be anything else.

It was this small consistency she drew some comfort from, that the world was proceeding in some capacity she knew to be true.

Her 'mother' and Ryoma did not share in her ease, staring in unconcealed bewilderment. She briefly wondered if this would prove Corrin's word true or if they would find some obscure reasoning to justify their claims any further.

Kamui watched with some amusement as Corrin's ears flattened themselves to be perfectly horizontal with his face, the image of a white-haired cat with purple eyes watching a lobster and an elegant black cat desperately vying for its attention flashed through her mind, taking all of her self restraint not to giggle at the image.

She might not have been all that successful judging by the look Corrin had shot her to which she just smiled brightly to everyone's confusion.

"Corrin," Queen Mikoto spoke gently after a pause, drawing the white-haired teens attention back to her both anticipating her response, "You know we would love you regardless of how you may appear."

It was clear from Corrin's face he was woefully unimpressed with her answer.

"Yes, well..." Ryoma began, taking a moment to prevent himself from unabashedly staring at his brother's face, the pit in his stomach growing with just how off his brother looked with long, pointed ears and yet somehow they suited him. "I'm certain we can correct it if we-"

"I was _born_ like this, your Highness." The words slipped out before the high prince could even utter the notion with such poisonous venom that everyone was taken aback by the teen's anger, "You _can't_ fix anything, because _nothing_ is wrong."

Corrin could hear the guards shifting around, taking offense at his blatant disrespect to their Queen and High Prince but honestly, he could care less. Even if this man was his older brother he would have been angry regardless. To insinuate that there was something wrong with him that they could change to better fit with the image they had was downright insulting, royalty be damned!

"Please understand Corrin, we do not mean to offend you-"

"But what? You think that you can just change anything you claim is wrong with me and I'll become the perfect little son you always wanted! That's a really messed up attitude even if I was your son!"

"Yes, you are correct. I apologize, Corrin, those were a poor choice of words. I did not mean to upset you."

The white-haired teen stared unblinking at the older man, the anger fresh in his eyes that made it clear he hadn't quite accepted his apology but was growing weary of any further discussion. Tension marred the air, corrupting once a joyous occasion for some into a battle that was growing further out of control. Tempers were running high and Kamui did not hesitate to believe that if the discussion continued as it was it would eventually devolve into a bloodless war of words. Corrin had not taken either of them highly, growing more frustrated and angry the longer this went on but Kamui hesitated to join him in his frustrations. At least to the degree of storming out of the palace and never returning.

She couldn't bite down on the traitorous feeling of nostalgia the longer she remained in their presence, seemingly the inverse of Corrin in which no such emotions were visible. Kamui wasn't certain if Corrin was fortunate to be free of such thought but then her heart would be gripped by guilt and then the cycle would repeat.

This was too much and all she wanted was to go home and never have to worry about the truths and falsehoods of her past. So much was wrong with her surroundings in ways she both understood and ways that conflicted heavily with her mind. She couldn't force herself to deny her twin brother yet the one before her was not him.

She had a brother, but it was not him.

One with the same pearl shaded hair her sisters loved, but it wasn't him.

He had those eyes, the ones she always believed shined brighter than any jewel or precious metal.

 _But it wasn't him._

As much as Ryoma and Mikoto desired it to be so, she knew the truth.

 _(No she didn't. She didn't know anything.)_

He couldn't be her brother.

 _(Was she blind? If not her brother then who could he possibly be?)_

She remembered the first. Countless versions of the boy standing before her but the first continued to haunt her even years later and countless visions of death and despair.

 _(He was the first.)_

The first one to die.

 _(All alone without Sister Dearest to save him.)_

The blood wouldn't stop no matter how much she tried to compress the wound. Her hands slipping through his flesh as though she was nothing more than a phantom. No matter how much she screamed and begged for him. Fat, ugly tears rolling down her cheeks as he faded away, but she could care less.

Her brother had died.

 _(Dead_.)

And it was all her fault.

 _(It was-)_

Her weakness that got her brother killed.

 _(If only she had been stronger.)_

Older siblings were meant to protect the younger ones no?

 _(But she hadn't-)_

But she couldn't do anything against that-

 _(Monster)_

It wasn't anything less than a demon.

 _(A demon that endures just to torment her **not-** brother)_

It'll kill him again.

 _(And again and again and again.)_

But he's here now.

 _(No, he's not.)_

That thing is out there too.

 _(It'll come here for him.)_

When that happens, there will be more than ash and bone from a fallen village.

 _(Her siblings will get involved, and then their kingdoms will fall.)_

Despite her training, all the hours spent perfecting her form would not be enough.

But she didn't know what else she could do. Useless, useless use-

"And why the hell would I _want_ to stay here when you've done nothing but ignore everything I've said!"

Kamui blinked, suddenly back in the present as Corrin and the High Prince were as close to a shouting match as royal etiquette would allow while still making their opinions heard. Corrin was making little effort to hide his frustration while Ryoma continued to cling to what little patience he had in was clearly an ill-fated attempt to remedy the situation.

"Please understand Corrin," Mikoto gently said, seeing the sadness growing in her eyes was like a hot knife into her heart, "We just want what's best for you."

"You hardly know me! How could you possibly know what's best for me?"

"Despite your repeated denials, we are your family Corrin."

"My family is dead and I don't appreciate you trying to force your way into my life because of a simple misunderstanding!"

"And just what are we lacking Corrin that you are certain we cannot possibly be related?" Ryoma finally let his anger manifest as to demand some clarity on Corrin's reasoning.

"Well unless you guys have much longer lifespans than Hylians you'd have to be well over a hundred to be my older brother!"

"What nonsense is this?"

"Oh yes, please, disregard everything I say. Not helping your case at all."

"Just what have you been told that you believe such lies?"

That one word spurred a wave of anger that burned into hatred. "Lies? **LIES!"** Corrin spat with malice, shocking the other royals out of their own fires of heated emotion, "You think its a lie that my kingdom is gone! Its people dead and the survivors left with ruins of an era where they didn't have to fear the monsters prowling the lands the second they step out into areas unprotected. And even then, within the safety of what little settlements they have, they are under constant threat of raids and not even their most experienced fighters can do jack shit about! Nothing they can do will ever prepare them for the day Calamity Ganon breaks free and obliterates them! All because I COULDN'T SLAY ONE FUCKING MONSTER!"

Stunned silence, nobody dared to even breath in the face of such overwhelming anger, a fury that gradually redirected itself from the two Hoshidian Royals and onto Corrin himself. Grief, anger, hatred, sorrow, and fear all swirled together in his eyes, clouding them into a pale imitation of the color they once were. One emotion stood out among the others, more prominent than the grief as it was more buried then the rest without a clear image to mourn, fueled by the anger and fear that set out only to make his sorrow a greater burden on his shoulders.

Guilt.

They could all see it. Despite his attempts to conceal, to misdirect their eye away from it with the injustice he felt about their treatment of him, it was as clear as the hoshidan mid-morning sky.

All of it was a heavy burden that took its toll on the poor boy. The anger drained away leaving nothing behind but a guilt-ridden teenager with nothing to his name and nothing to gain. He didn't look like a prince at all, not when grief he didn't fully understand and regret from the things he did was like a disease that was rapidly growing to a blight on his psyche.

With shoulders hunched down, eyes dull with despair and voice laced with every amount of anguish in his heart Corrin said, "I couldn't save them when they needed me most, and now...Now, you are asking me to abandon them to a fate they have no hope of fighting against."

And with that, Corrin swiftly turned and stalked out of the room unconcerned with where he might find himself but too emotionally and physically exhausted to care anymore. A sad, pitiful hope that he might walk through those grand doors and he'd find himself back in the open fields of Hyrule, the achingly familiar sights that he loved to take a moment to watch and remind himself just what he was fighting for. The people and the land he did not remember but one he had grown to love and would do anything to make up for the mistake...no, not a mistake, his _failure_ to protect them which resulted in his century-long slumber while everyone else suffered for his weakness.

He couldn't stay, not for a moment longer than it took to secure a way back to Hyrule. Not when so many people would die because some royals from another world that refused to see reason and continued to pester him about a son that was...

For some reason, Corrin couldn't even consider the possibility that the Queen's child is still alive. He tried, he really did, to reassure the kind woman's fears about her son's fate but he couldn't even convince himself. No matter how he tried to reason that the other was fine it always came back to 'Corrin' being dead.

If the other really was gone then what were the odds that he could convince the other's family to leave him alone. Without proof, and he knew there was none, (all of it was gone, decayed into dust from an age long since past) then all he would do is cause them pain.

And he had caused enough already.


End file.
